Category: AEW

AEW Officially Signs New Media Rights Deal With Warner Bros. Discovery, (Details on Deal)

AEW has reportedly officially signed a new multi-year, multimedia rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery on the fifth anniversary of its flagship show, “AEW Dynamite.” Variety reported the deal was made official on Wednesday, though financial terms were not disclosed. According to the outlet’s sources, the deal is valued at upwards of $150 million per year, anonymous social media scoop account WrestleVotes claimed afterward that the number “is closer to $185 million per year,” and Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp chimed in to confirm, saying “This number is accurate.” “Dynamite” and “AEW Collision” will remain on TBS and TNT, but will also stream live on Max simultaneously for subscribers in the United States. Shows will be available to stream on-demand at the beginning of 2025. As for AEW’s ever-increasing pay-per-view schedule, Variety revealed that PPVs will be available for purchase on Max later on in 2025 at a discounted price per show. In a statement seemingly provided to Variety, AEW President Tony Khan said the company is honored to announce the extension of its partnership.

“This extension continues the tradition of iconic wrestling events broadcast on TBS and TNT, while also establishing a new legacy for AEW through weekly live streams on Max for years to come,” Khan said. “We thank David Zaslav, Kathleen Finch and everyone at WBD for their tireless support of All Elite Wrestling since its inception, as well as the AEW fans, talent and staff that helped make this possible.”

Variety reported that the deal includes “enhanced distribution rights across social media.” It also includes “potential” new programming on both linear and digital platforms. Though former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland was recorded last week saying AEW was taking “WWE SmackDown’s” place on Fox, Variety did not report anything of the like on Wednesday. Variety’s report also did not include anything regarding “AEW Shockwave,” a term the company recently trademarked, which is rumored to be another show set to air on FS1.

Fightful Select, meanwhile, is reporting that claims that WBD own an undisclosed stake in AEW can’t be confirmed, as sources in AEW and WBD said they hadn’t heard anything about WBD having an ownership stake in the company. Meanwhile, Fightful reports that “AEW Collision” and “AEW Dynamite” are set to remain on Saturdays and Wednesdays, respectively; as for “AEW Rampage,” it’s possible the show could end up on another network, but if so the “Rampage” archives would not be added to to Max in January along with “Dynamite” and “Collision.” AEW will continue to charge for PPVs, as the company has no interest in “cannibalizing” the PPV market by making it subscription-based, citing losses by WWE and UFC since moving to a subscription model, but the promotion is aware of the negativity generated by the idea of paywalling PPVs and then charging more for them. Fightful claims AEW may change to a different model in the future.

Finally, there are no known plans in regards to bringing Ring of Honor to TruTV, but the end of WBD’s exclusivity clause means AEW is now able to negotiate with other networks, meaning there’s a possibility for a return of programming like “AEW Dark” as well as the rumored Fox deal.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite 5-Year Anniversary Show Preview 10/2/2024

AEW Dynamite 5-Year Anniversary show will air live tonight on TBS from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show will have a significant overrun per Tony Khan.

  • AEW World Title vs AEW Continental Title: AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada
    (Okada’s Continental Championship is on the line for the first 20 minutes.)
  • AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Ricochet
  • Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Serena Deeb
  • Hangman Page vs. Juice Robinson

AEW Star Killswitch (Fka Luchasaurus) Hospitalized With Serious Medical Condition

Just days away from the fifth anniversary episode of “AEW Dynamite,” it seems All Elite Wrestling will be without one of its original stars for an undisclosed period of time. On Monday, Fightful reported that Austin Matelson, who currently wrestles in AEW under the name Killswitch after initially being known as Luchasaurus, is dealing with a serious medical issue that has resulted in his hospitalization.

Fightful reports that Matelson’s fiancee “found him collapsed” this past Friday, after which he was taken to the hospital. Upon admission his blood oxygen level was found to be below 80% — dangerously low, considering the normal level is 95% – 100%. Doctors also discovered that Matelson had pneumonia in both lungs and that he was “days away from permanent lung damage.” Matelson has been on oxygen since Friday and was reportedly told he would need more than a month to recover, and it could be longer before he’s ready to return to the ring. Fightful says they received permission “from those close to” Matelson before reporting on the situation.

Matelson is a former AEW TNT, Tag Team, and Trios Champion, having won the tag titles in 2022 alongside Jack Perry back when Matelson was known as Luchasaurus, Perry was known as Jungle Boy and they were collectively known as Jurassic Express. The years since have seen Luchasaurus become Killswitch after turning on Perry at the behest of Christian Cage, who brought Killswitch into The Patriarchy; Cage and Killswitch were Trios Champions with fellow Patriarchy member Nick Wayne until AEW All In 2024, when they lost the belts to the Blackpool Combat Club at Wembley Stadium. Killswitch later helped Cage win a Casino Gauntlet Match the same night, resulting in Cage “earning” a guaranteed world championship opportunity. Killswitch hasn’t competed in the ring since Wembley.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Collision Grand Slam Preview 9/28/2024

AEW Collision Grand Slam will air tonight on TNT. It was taped Wednesday night from Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.

  • “The Scapegoat” Jack Perry TNT Championship Open Challenge
  • AEW World Trios Championship: Pac, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta (c) vs. Private Party & Komander
  • Tornado Trios Match: The Learning Tree vs. the Conglomeration
  • Lumberjack Strap Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Hangman Page
  • AEW Continental Championship Eliminator Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Sammy Guevara
  • Saraya Rules Match: Saraya vs. Jamie Hayter
  • 3-Way Lucha Libre: The Beast Mortos vs. Hologram vs. Dralistico
  • Action Andretti vs. Brody King
  • MxM Collection unveil Max Caster’s jacket makeover

Rey Fenix’s WWE Signing Falls Through Due To AEW Contract Complications

The Lucha Bros are expected to join WWE in the near future, but as of this moment, the former AEW World Tag Team Champions have not signed with the company.

Reports emerged this week that Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix had both agreed to multi-year deals with WWE, but Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select is reporting that is not the case.

 Penta and Fenix are currently under contract with AEW.

Sources within the company tell Fightful that they believe Fenix still has time left on his contract with AEW, making it impossible for him to come to terms with WWE.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Penta is set to join WWE when his contract expires within the next two months.

The report states, “As far as Fenix goes, right now AEW is tacking on injury time which is nearly but not quite one year. Khan made both significant offers to stay but they wouldn’t sign a new deal.”

Sources: eWn and Sports Illustrated

AEW Rampage Preview 9/27/2024

AEW Rampage tonight on TNT.

  • House of Black (Brody King & Buddy Matthews) vs. Lio Rush & Action Andretti
  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Angelico
  • Anna Jay vs. Robyn Renegade
  • Willow Nightingale vs. Taya Valkyrie
  • The Acclaimed vs. TBD

HOOK Retires FTW Title Following Successful Defense On AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam

The FTW Championship is no more.

On Wednesday’s “AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam,” FTW Champion Hook retained the title in a hard-fought battle against Roderick Strong. Strong shared a moment of respect following, shaking Hook’s hand after submitting to the Red Rum hold. After the match, Hook stood up in front of the Queens, NY crowd and declared that the time had come to retire the title. After he did so, Hook hugged his father, AEW Broadcaster -and the belt’s originator- Taz in an emotional display.

AEW revived the title in 2020, initially won by Team Taz’s Brian Cage. Since then, Hook has gone on to be a three-time champion, feuding with the likes of Jack Perry and Chris Jericho over the title. Hook’s recent reign began on August 25, when he defeated Chris Jericho to regain the title in Wembley Stadium, thanks to help from his father. Taz had initially created the belt in the 1990s, while Taz was in ECW. The belt had been most famous for the brutal feud between Taz and Sabu, who had heavily-lauded matches for the vanity title.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

MVP Makes AEW Debut On Dynamite: Grand Slam, Wants To ‘Talk Business’ With Top Star

Prince Nana appeared during “AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam” to provide an update on Swerve Strickland’s status, but the segment was more notable for the AEW debut of MVP, who has officially signed with the promotion according to Fightful Select.

Strickland was last seen in the viciously bloody Lights Out Cage Match against “Hangman” Adam Page, losing after taking a hypodermic needle through his cheek and all manner of extreme bumps prior. Nana confirmed that he was not in good condition after the match and was recovering, noting that he had lost his world championship, had his home burned down, and suffered his brutal loss to Page in a matter of weeks. He was then interrupted by the debuting MVP, lauding Strickland for his title reign throughout the year before lamenting Nana for allowing him to go through what he did. It became clear why he was disparaging Strickland’s manager when he handed his business card over, telling Nana to pass it on to his client so they can “talk business.” 

MVP’s AEW debut swiftly follows previous reporting that fellow Hurt Business members in WWE, Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley, had been in negotiations to join the promotion. MVP’s Totally Harmless Concept LLC has also filed to trademark “The Hurt Syndicate,” which only adds to the idea that they could be soon to follow.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Video Teases Reunion With AEW’s Kenny Omega At WrestleDynasty Crossover Show

Kenny Omega has faced some of the best wrestlers in NJPW history, and the promotion was where he firmly established himself as a major name in the business. On AEW television, Omega hasn’t been seen since May, when he was written off after an attack by former allies The Elite, but it seems like “The Best Bout Machine” is returning to the public eye.

The official NJPW X account recently shared a brief clip where Hiroshi Tanahashi looked back at his last match with Omega, and teased an upcoming reunion. “We wrestled in the main event in the Tokyo Dome in 2019. That match and what came out of it? It was a unique situation, so I think everyone’s curious as to how we’ve been. I’ve got a lot of mixed emotions, but I’m curious too. Excited to see him,” Tanahashi said. The two men then met in a room, and greeted one another, with the post’s hashtags teasing that their “reunion” is somehow tied to the multi-promotion Wrestle Dynasty pay-per-view, which will take place on January 5, 2025.

The most recent update on Omega’s health was one month ago, in August. The star has been suffering from diverticulitis for quite some time, and had surgery recently. His good friend and AEW star, Michael Nakazawa, claimed that “The Cleaner” had 25 centimeters removed of his colon, and had lost abdominal strength as a result, making basic tasks difficult for him. However, Nakazawa added that Omega had steadily been recovering, and that he’d been training at the time. Considering that he’s seemingly planning to appear at Wrestle Dynasty in January, it appears like his recovery has gone quicker than many anticipated.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Preview 9/25/2024

AEW Dynamite Grand Slam will air live tonight on TBS from Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.

  • AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (non-title match and if Danielson is cleared to wrestle)
  • Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin for Darby’s AEW World Championship opportunity
  • Prince Nana to provide an update on Swerve Strickland
  • AEW Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson) (c) vs. International Champion Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher
  • FTW Championship Match: Hook (c) vs. Roderick Strong
  • AEW Women’s World Championship: Mariah May (c) vs. Yuka Sakazaki